What Cap Are You Wearing Today?

[MisplacedHillbilly]

My most commonly worn peice of headgear, my cotton Botvela cap. Faded,sweat stained,paint stained even a bit of blood. Worn most days of the week, all year round.

 

[dkstott]

Road trip in New York

Historical home of President Martin Van Buren in Kinder hook New York with Merino and Alpaca wool newsboy

Trip up north to Lake George NY light brown Donegal tweed newsboy

Downstate NY at historic home of Thomas Cole in Catskill ny. Light grey Merino and alpaca wool newsboy

 

[Short Balding Guy]

I would like to share some caps I wore this week.

Eric -

 

[dkstott]

My accountant / wife approved the purchase of another cap. New cap day!

Gamble & Gunn Ltd Taransay Green Harris Tweed all British made Newsboy.

This is a bit of a chameleon in coloring. It changes from definite green to shades of grey or brown depending on the lighting.

Perfect fit straight out of the box. It might need a little steaming to eliminate a few wrinkles, but I really like it.

 

[Trenchfriend]

@dkstott
Wonderful piece!

 

[quikrick]

 

[Hurricane Jack]

A couple of questions for the bulbous 8-panel & 8-dart cap enthusiasts: how do you learn to drape them to appear naturally? Do you use any steam or stiffener to help hold the drape? Iron out wrinkles? Preference for linen or wool to work with or wear other than the time of yr?

 

[shopkin]

The natural drape comes from the patterns the panels are cut from. Woven fabrics will stretch a little on the bias, but they will not stretch and mold like felt. However, wool fabrics will be a tiny bit more pliable than linen because sheep hair is curly while flax fibers are straight. Creasing caused by storage can be steam-ironed out, but you may not be able to change the overall shape without changing the panel dimensions.

 

[quikrick]

A couple of questions for the bulbous 8-panel & 8-dart cap enthusiasts: how do you learn to drape them to appear naturally? Do you use any steam or stiffener to help hold the drape? Iron out wrinkles? Preference for linen or wool to work with or wear other than the time of yr?

I'm no expert, the following are my simple observations/experience:
1. The drape is usually dictated by the fabric. Softer material will be floppier, thicker stiffer fabric will hold a more rigid drape. Both floppy and stiff are in my rotation.
2. I've never used stiffener on any of my caps. I have steamed some of them that have gone a bit too floppy or wrinkly. The linen caps that I have need more maintenance regarding wrinkle removal. I bought a 10" round pillow on Amazon, I stuff the pillow into the cap and lightly steam the wrinkles out. The pillow was a bit too fluffy, so I removed some of the stuffing.
3. Seasons and weather do impact my decision. Linen, cotton and straw are light and airy for spring and summer. Then there is lightweight wool for more mild weather. Heavy wool for the COLD California winters.

My journey with caps has been fun. Just two short years ago I walked into the local hat shop and bought a tweed cap off the shelf, small crown and short peak/visor. Then I gradually started going with a bigger crown. Now I really really like big crowns (I can't deny). In the never ending pursuit to be just a little different.
When discussing the details on a new cap from @Johnny J at Cordova Caps, I almost always say GO BIG (crown). But just like fedora folks across the aisle, a good mix of many stiles is a good thing.

So there you have it! I hope this helps HJ.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

So there you have it! I hope this helps HJ.

It does, Rick. Thank you!

 

[dkstott]

There are several newsboy caps that I discarded over the years because they were really floppy. The slightest shaking of my head made the fabric flop to one side and the newsboy would look like a beret.

I have a love - hate relationship with my linen newsboy caps..
I love the light weight and the ability to wear them in extreme heat.

I hate the maintenance needed to get rid of the wrinkles...

 

[quikrick]

Cordova wool cap, South Fork American River off Hwy. 50 on our way to Reno NV

Virginia City, NV
My grandmother used to call me El Burro Flojo!

Monsivais denim.

 

[Zombie_61]

...Then I gradually started going with a bigger crown. Now I really really like big crowns (I can't deny)...

Wait a minute. Did you just take a swipe at Sir Mix-A-Lot???

 

[Art Hat1]

Finished out the work week with a Monsivais “National”! Happy weekend everybody!

 

[Art Hat1]

My most commonly worn peice of headgear, my cotton Botvela cap. Faded,sweat stained,paint stained even a bit of blood. Worn most days of the week, all year round. View attachment 620847 View attachment 620848

Awesome well loved cap!

 

[Short Balding Guy]

A couple of questions for the bulbous 8-panel & 8-dart cap enthusiasts: how do you learn to drape them to appear naturally? Do you use any steam or stiffener to help hold the drape? Iron out wrinkles? Preference for linen or wool to work with or wear other than the time of yr?

Jack terrific wisdom passed from others. I would like to add a few more to the "pot."

(1) Liner and fabric weight. If you desire to have the cap hold shape the liner makes a big difference. The liner is between the outside fabric and the "silk" liner. Some of my fav caps have height. I have worked with Mr.Cordova to get the side height and back height to be a better fit for me. The liner in the side of the cap helps to give the cap shape. I do not like the cap to be hard resting on my head and the cap needs to have enough material not to pull down tight, like a watchman cap, on the back of the head.
(2) Sides of the cap matter. If you wish the cap to be away from resting on you head or heavy resting on head the side construction makes an enormous difference.
(3) I have linen and wool mixed caps that "take a beating and keep on ticking." The wool helps maintain the cap shape at my house. Linen caps I steam on a wooden cap block. I store them carefully, but inevitably they unpack with wrinkles and light folds.
(4) I, bald headed me, effort to not stain the top of the cap. A handkerchief in the pocket does mostly prevent staining. That said I do have a couple caps with removable topers that I can gently wash. In warm weather wearing this is a nice feature. The maintenance gets higher.
(5) Have a few caps to wear and it keeps the wear and tear down noticeably. Just like hats.
(6) Buy the drape you wish to see. I have some big drape caps and I find myself rarely wearing them. The mushroom head is just not my look. I am a short bald guy and a big drape appears funny or costume-y. I have some small drape and peaks (brims, <2.5") and I rarely wear them. My sweet spot for what I see in the mirror I have found. This is totally my opinion.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Saturday's cap.

Eric -

 

[Art Hat1]

Saturday's cap.

Eric -

Really nice, excellent shade of blue! Is that a denim?

 

[Art Hat1]

Took a new linen cap from Thomas Farthing out to brunch today. Big fan of the caps they sell, very nice fabrics and shapes….just wish they had leather sweatbands-easier to keep clean. Wear cooler though.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Jack terrific wisdom passed from others. I would like to add a few more to the "pot."

(1) Liner and fabric weight. If you desire to have the cap hold shape the liner makes a big difference. The liner is between the outside fabric and the "silk" liner. Some of my fav caps have height. I have worked with Mr.Cordova to get the side height and back height to be a better fit for me. The liner in the side of the cap helps to give the cap shape. I do not like the cap to be hard resting on my head and the cap needs to have enough material not to pull down tight, like a watchman cap, on the back of the head.
(2) Sides of the cap matter. If you wish the cap to be away from resting on you head or heavy resting on head the side construction makes an enormous difference.
(3) I have linen and wool mixed caps that "take a beating and keep on ticking." The wool helps maintain the cap shape at my house. Linen caps I steam on a wooden cap block. I store them carefully, but inevitably they unpack with wrinkles and light folds.
(4) I, bald headed me, effort to not stain the top of the cap. A handkerchief in the pocket does mostly prevent staining. That said I do have a couple caps with removable topers that I can gently wash. In warm weather wearing this is a nice feature. The maintenance gets higher.
(5) Have a few caps to wear and it keeps the wear and tear down noticeably. Just like hats.
(6) Buy the drape you wish to see. I have some big drape caps and I find myself rarely wearing them. The mushroom head is just not my look. I am a short bald guy and a big drape appears funny or costume-y. I have some small drape and peaks (brims, <2.5") and I rarely wear them. My sweet spot for what I see in the mirror I have found. This is totally my opinion.

Cheers, Eric -

Nice post filled with detail & useful info, Eric! Thanks for the reply.